Chapter 11
Episode 11
"Bestia, the weather is cold."”
The Young Duke, with a blunt gesture, draped a blanket over my shoulders.
“Ah, thank….”
How much longer is this person going to overprotect me?
He wrapped me up so thoroughly.
Thanks to him, I became like a caterpillar, with only my face poking out from between the blankets.
The Young Duke seemed amused by my appearance, a faint smile gracing his lips.
Is helping others his hobby?
Thick raindrops struck the carriage window, making a desolate sound.
It had already been several days since we left the Duke's Mansion.
The arrival was being delayed due to the cloudy weather.
Finding lodging along the way had been difficult, so these days we spent most of our time in the carriage, except for when we ate or slept.
Fortunately, despite the heavy rain, the roads were relatively smooth.
This made it possible for me to travel by staying close to him, rather than being held by the Young Duke.
“Young Duke.”
“Yes, Bestia. Please speak.”
“Where we are going now… people have been disappearing continuously, you said?”
“That is correct.”
“I have a bad feeling about this. The villagers might be wary of us, outsiders.”
I gazed out the now dark carriage window and let out a small sigh.
If there were even a small clue, I wouldn't feel this lost.
I knew the journey would be arduous, but as we neared the village, my heart grew heavier.
The Young Duke subtly glanced at me, then took something out of his pocket.
“Bestia.”
“What is this, Young Duke?”
He gently placed the object into my hand, which was sticking out slightly from the blanket.
“It’s a handkerchief?”
“Yes.”
He seemed to be observing my reaction after his brief reply.
This is that, isn't it?
In the Empire, there was a custom where a spouse or lover would give a handkerchief when embarking on a long journey.
“You seem delicate, though you don’t appear to be the type, Young Duke.”
“…….”
I stared blankly at the handkerchief, then noticed the letters embroidered on its edge.
“Oh, this is my name?”
The Young Duke abruptly turned his head away without a word.
The embroidery on the handkerchief was so crooked that I could barely make out my name.
Only then did I notice the small scratches on his hands.
“Thank you.”
The thought of that cold-hearted man struggling with a needle made me feel strangely excited.
“You’re a cuter person than I thought, Young Duke.”
“I am not cute. Beth.”
While ‘cute’ was my way of complimenting him, he didn’t seem particularly pleased.
“Why? I think you’re cute?”
An inexplicable sweet feeling welled up, and I unconsciously patted his scratched hand lightly.
His hand seemed to tremble slightly, but soon a calm voice reached my ears.
“If you do cute things often… will you pamper me like this every time?”
“What?”
“If that is Beth’s preference, I am fully willing to accommodate it.”
He subtly took the hand resting on his, then lightly kissed it.
“I am perhaps too eager….”
He slightly lifted his head and met my eyes.
His gaze was clearly intent on seducing me.
I fanned my flushed face and asked him,
“Y-Young Duke, you’ve met many women, haven’t you?”
“Were there women in the Empire besides Beth? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
He tilted his head as if he truly knew nothing.
His demeanor seemed so brazen that I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“Are you feeling a little better, Beth?”
The fact that all these actions were meant to cheer me up somehow made me feel good.
Sometimes, this sort of thing might be alright.
I pretended not to notice the Young Duke, who was still subtly holding my hand.
\ \ \
“……They’re having a festival?”
“I know, why?”
“They’re having a festival.”
“…….”
We turned to Gilbert, our faces a mixture of confusion and suspicion.
“D-Don’t look at me like that! I got it right this time! Do you think I can’t find my own hometown!”
Gilbert waved his hands, protesting his innocence, but unfortunately, the atmosphere was one of distrust.
But people are disappearing in a place like this?
The village atmosphere was not just lively, but practically burning with festival fervor.
Moreover, the people’s faces showed no signs of worry or concern, unlike in other villages.
“They’re holding a festival in a place where crime is rampant?”
It was an overly peaceful scene for a village where people had recently been disappearing.
Gilbert nodded as if he understood and opened his mouth.
“This is a famous tourist spot among commoners. Many people come and go frequently, so you might not know about it.”
Indeed, if rumors spread that people were disappearing, the villagers’ income would dry up, so they might be keeping it quiet.
“Speaking of which, what about Gilbert’s friends?”
“Ah, we are orphans, so we don’t have money to rent a place here.”
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and pointed beyond the residential area.
“You can’t see them from here, but they live over there.”
I felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
For orphans, it was difficult to escape poverty, no matter how hard they worked.
They lacked education and opportunities to showcase their talents.
Thinking about it, I was quite lucky for an orphan.
Before I could fall deeper into thought, Gilbert’s excited voice was heard.
“This is the first time I’ve been away from home for so long… Would it be alright if I went to see my friends?”
Then, the Young Duke blurted out in a detached tone,
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
Gilbert bowed deeply and quickly disappeared behind a secluded alley in the village.
He moved so fast, he seemed more like an animal than a human.
Aristelle blinked, staring at where Gilbert had vanished, looking bewildered.
“……It would be safer if he carried us instead of driving the carriage, wouldn’t it?”
\ \ \
“Young Duke, I think we need to cover your eyes.”
We dressed as commoners to investigate the village.
Mary, the maid with black hair, and I, due to our backgrounds, didn't look out of place in these clothes.
Aristelle felt a bit out of place, but not enough to arouse suspicion, so we’ll let it slide.
The problem was the remaining one.
As expected, it was the Young Duke.
What was the point of dressing as a commoner?
His face radiated nobility, almost to the point of glowing.
How could one hide a presence that could be felt from a hundred meters away?
“……Being handsome is also a problem. Anyone can see you’re not a commoner.”
Though I said it with genuine concern, he seemed unfazed.
Normally, he would have said something like, ‘I’m embarrassed to be praised so suddenly, Bestia.’
“That is a fact I am aware of, Beth.”
“What?”
“I am quite good-looking.”
“…….”
“Am I not?”
It was a situation that should have surprised me, but I was flustered, unsure of what to be surprised about.
Was it his attitude, stating so matter-of-factly that he was ‘quite good-looking’?
Or was it his gaze, subtly expecting me to agree to a question whose answer was already obvious?
Yes… it would be strange for someone with that face not to know they were handsome.
But the Young Duke’s outrageous remarks didn’t end there.
“Well, Beth, you must look in the mirror every day, so my face probably doesn’t impress you anymore.”
“…What?”
What kind of life must one live to make such remarks so casually every time?
I soothed my turbulent emotions in various ways and said to him,
“Young Duke, for now, we can insist you’re a commoner, but you really must cover your eyes.”
His empty golden irises were screaming, ‘I am a member of the House of Duke Russell!’
“Ah, I see.”
With a snap of his fingers, as if it were a trivial matter, his irises instantly turned purple.
Magic can do that too? That’s cheating.
My surprise was short-lived.
“Young Duke… why… are you doing that?”
“What are you asking about, Beth?”
The Young Duke tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand the reason.
Why, for what reason, did he change his eye color to purple!
Wasn’t it to be less conspicuous by changing his eye color?
I had never seen anyone with purple eyes in my life…!
As if unaware of my thoughts, Mary, standing behind us, suddenly adopted an inspired expression, opened her notebook, and began writing as if possessed.
What is that now…?
“Young Duke, out of all the possible eye colors, why did you choose purple?”
“Because it’s pretty.”
“…….”
He gazed intently at my eyes and said nonchalantly.
As I was about to give up on understanding, Aristelle began.
“Since everyone seems ready, shall we head to the plaza first?”
As he explained on the way here, the last known locations of the missing persons were mostly the plaza.
“It doesn’t make sense. How could they have kidnapped someone in such a crowded place?”
“I am also puzzled by that. And it’s not as if all those people vanished at the same time.”
“……Perhaps this could be a lure?”
The Young Duke nodded silently and said,
“That is correct. However, since no other leads have emerged, we need to observe the situation.”
“I see….”
Then, the Young Duke extended his hand to me and said,
“It would be best to avoid any suspicion, however slight. How about you and I pretend to be family, Bestia?”
His tone and expression held more seriousness than usual.
So, he changed his eye color to look like family with me?
……It was overconfidence.
After all, he, who detested anything troublesome, had no reason to do something so conspicuous.
Feeling a bit sheepish, I lightly clasped his outstretched hand.
“Of course. Before we go, let’s practice acting like real family.”
“Alright, darling.”
“……What?”
“Weren’t we supposed to be pretending to be husband and wife?”
“……I shouldn’t have said anything.”
To be continued in the next episode ▶
